STOMP THE YARD is an old-fashioned college movie about someone who shows up for the wrong reasons and slowly comes to recognize that college offers more than a ticket to a life in a foreign realm: last month I looked at ANNAPOLIS SALUTE from 1937 with exactly the same story, and I don't doubt it was decrepit with age then.
But when you're dealing with an old story, the issue is not the age of the plot -- we can assume it's used because it works and the question becomes one of details. Here, we have the story tricked out with issues of belonging -- to a fraternity -- and dance competitions.
Now the choreography of the movie is excellent -- but the style of dance is about confrontation and aggression And that runs directly contrary to the theme of the movie and is a weakness.
I rush to note that the performances are good, even though some of the characters are written -- particularly the lead, DJ -- as a mass of immiscible contradictions. Unless you are a major fan of this sort of dancing, it's not for you. Stick with the Disney TV movie, JUMP IN! Which is the same movie, only about competitive double-dutch jump rope.
But when you're dealing with an old story, the issue is not the age of the plot -- we can assume it's used because it works and the question becomes one of details. Here, we have the story tricked out with issues of belonging -- to a fraternity -- and dance competitions.
Now the choreography of the movie is excellent -- but the style of dance is about confrontation and aggression And that runs directly contrary to the theme of the movie and is a weakness.
I rush to note that the performances are good, even though some of the characters are written -- particularly the lead, DJ -- as a mass of immiscible contradictions. Unless you are a major fan of this sort of dancing, it's not for you. Stick with the Disney TV movie, JUMP IN! Which is the same movie, only about competitive double-dutch jump rope.